brain teaser #2

[bugzpodder]

ok, a guy owns 17 horses. he wrote instructions on how to give them away to his wife, son and daughter after he went away. it said: I will give all of the 17 horses to my wife, son and daughter. My wife gets a half, my son gets a third, and my daughter gets one ninth of the horses. no horses can be killed. fyi this is an interesting question so plz include reasons for your answers.

[snakeeyes1000]

WIFE=9
SON=6
DAUGHTER=2

Find the common denominator of 18, and miraculously you only have 17/18. Divide em up like it says. Hope I at least got close.

[bugzpodder]

yea, but is the guy's instruction followed? one may argue that you are suppose to have 1/2, 1/3 and 1/9 of the 17 horses, not 18 (as you implied in your reply -- common denominator of 18)

[snakeeyes1000]

yeah.. that's true...

[Guv]

I have seen this one before, and do not want credit for the correct answer.

Mathematically, the instructions cannot be followed without cutting up one or more horses, which could be done without killing any.

The intended answer is the following.

Borrow a horse from a neighbor. Divide the 18 horses up as per instructions. Return the borrowed horse to the neighbor.

[DavidHooper]

Borrow a horse from a neighbor. Divide the 18 horses up as per instructions. Return the borrowed horse to the neighbor.

That is very silly. If it's the correct answer then this problem doesn't qualify as a brain teaser.

[Guv]

DavidHooper: Perhaps the question does not belong here. It might be silly, but it is the answer intended 50 or more years ago when the question was first proposed.

[JPicasso]

What if his neighbors were all pig farmers?

Then what?


I agree, this is somewhat to moderately silly.